But episode 25, “The Two Sakuras”, takes a darker turn than has been the case for episodes that have come before. Oh, I suppose the fight with Watery had a sense of menace to it, but nothing like the creepiness as a silent Sakura leads Touya deep into a forest and over a cliff. A great series looks like it is getting even better.

Sakura has a doppelganger that has been going around town causing trouble. Fortunately, Sakura has iron-clad alibis (well, only if Tomoyo can be viewed as an impartial witness, I suppose).

The scene at the cliff (both the top and the bottom) is very well done: a silent Sakura stands at the cliff top looking on as Touya struggles to maintain his grip. What happens next veers into spoiler territory, but it’s also a nice scene, with hints about Touya’s spiritual nature.

Kero-chan has been remarking at the growth of Sakura’s power for a while. This time he teaches her to use the Clow cards for divination to try to understand the nature of this troublemaker. It’s a good thing he does, because the cards give Sakura a vital clue she uses to restrain the card when she gets a chance.

And there’s something that seems to be bothering Kero-chan. I get the sense that the series is about to change gears and to veer into darker territory: stronger, more malevolent cards, and other tests for Sakura.

Oh, and the Sakura expression of the week:

Tomoyo's taste in costumery has rubbed off on Sakura -- she chose this outfit herself!

I’m a bit amazed that this is episode 25 — would we give a series 25 episodes for “the real story” to start in this day and age? Maybe we should, this series holds up very well after all these years.